Synopsis
Pavement perform "Carrot Rope" with deadpan enthusiasm in a deliberately goofy pop spectacle. Wearing matching yellow raincoats, the five members pose, sway, and dance in front of a blue tarp, imitating the polished choreography and visual unity of a boy band while retaining their awkward, slacker energy. The low-budget presentation, stiff movements, and bright costumes clash humorously with the band's usual indie-rock image, turning the song's catchy, unusually polished character into an affectionate parody of mainstream pop performance.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was released in 1999 for "Carrot Rope," the closing track on Pavement's album "Terror Twilight."
- Its central visual joke is the contrast between Pavement's intentionally awkward performance style and the coordinated look of a conventional boy band. The matching yellow oilskins make the group appear more like a novelty act than a serious rock band.
- The simple blue-tarp setting and deliberately cheap-looking staging fit Pavement's long-running preference for anti-glamorous, self-mocking videos.
- "Carrot Rope" was issued as a single only in the United Kingdom, at the request of Domino Records after substantial airplay from John Peel. It reached No. 27 on the UK Singles Chart, making it Pavement's highest-charting single there.
- The song is often called "...And Carrot Rope," but the ellipsis and "and" on the album artwork indicate that it is the final track rather than forming part of the official title.
- The video was later included in "Slow Century," the 2002 Pavement documentary and video collection.